Authorities have allegedly refused to make official the marriage of a Hindu man and a Muslim woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri town, fearing a resurgence of last year’s communal tensions.

The town became notorious when 52-year-old Mohammad Ikhlaq was killed by a lynch-mob over rumours that he had eaten beef.

The couple from Chitehra village have failed to get their marriage registered even after six months, with officials allegedly saying the move may trigger a riot.

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No recognition: Married couple Manjeet Bhati and Salma, who changed her name to Sapna Arya. The pair say they are considered an emblem of unity in their village – but officials fear their story could trigger riots.

Marrying out of faith is considered taboo in large parts of India, where consenting adults who have broken no laws have been threatened and beaten up by religious vigilantes.

Manjeet Bhati, 24, and Salma, 20, who later changed her name to Sapna Arya, fled from Dadri in Gautam Budh Nagar district to Allahabad city on October 19 last year on a motorbike. Three days later, Salma adopted Hinduism and they were married at an Arya Samaj temple.

The couple allege that they have repeatedly visited government offices over the past five months and met senior district officers, but no one has helped them. They also say that the marriage registrar who refused to make their marriage official demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000.

The district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, NP Singh, promised that the marriage will be registered and asked a senior officer to look into the matter.

Marriage

“If both of them are adults then there should not be any problem in registering their marriage. I cannot deny that they were told by a government officer that registering their marriage can ignite communal violence,” Singh said, adding that the rule of the land should prevail.

Though prominent celebrities such as Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan are Muslim men married to Hindu women, interfaith marriage remains a sensitive issue in the country.

Bhati claims that he has met all the senior district officers, including the district magistrate, ADM, SDM, and the city magistrate, but received no support – after which he wrote to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, asking him to intervene

“We went to the marriage registrar in January but he said that he will not register our marriage as I was a Hindu and my wife a Muslim and this could ignite violence in the area. I assured him that no local has a problem with our marriage and our village is quite peaceful, but still he refused and also demanded Rs 20,000,” Manjeet said.

The incident emerged close on the heels of a Hindu woman and a Muslim man in Karnataka solemnising their marriage this month despite howls of protest from hardline Hindu groups and caste leaders.

Manjeet and Sapna said they initially feared attacks from the bride’s relatives and she sought protection from the area’s senior superintendent of police.

“My parents died while I was quite young. I was living with some relatives who wanted me to marry an elderly man,” Sapna told Mail Today. “But Manjeet and I were friends for long and we decided to get married.”